Building



June 24, 1930. J. F. WILLIAMS BUILDING Filed July 26, 1929 5 FRANK WILLIAM5 /1QBY I ATTORNEYS Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES earn'r oF Ic JAMES FRANK WILLIAMS, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR TO RAMP BUILDINGS COR- PORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAVJARE BUILDING Application filed July 26, 1928. Serial No. 381,238.

This invention relates particularly to garage buildings of the type having storage floors located at different levels and con nected by ramps over which the automobiles may be driven under their own power from floor to floor in order to reach their respective storage spaces. An important object of the invention is to provide, in such a garage, a floor and ramp arrangement providinga low ascent grade between the storage spaces located at different levels, without reducing the storage capacity of the building.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 a vertical, longitudinal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 3 a vertical, transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 a vertical, transverse section on the line H of Fig. 1.

The garage is represented as having an elongated, rectangular floor plan defined by a front wall 1, rear wall 2, and side walls 3 and 4. This plan may be varied, however. A group of superposed level floors 5 occupy the front portion of the plan, extending along the front wall 1 the entire distance between the side walls 3 and 1. At the rear of the level floors 5 are two groups of superposed, inclined floors 6 and 7 of material length. These two groups extend side by side and each fills half, or substantially half, of the remaining area of the ground plan at the rear of the floors 5. The floors 6 of one group are joined in succession to the rear edges of the floors 5 and extend upwardly and rearwardly therefrom with a comparatively slight inclination clear to the rear wall 2. The floors 7 of the other group are also joined in succession to the rear edges of all of the floors 5 except the lowermost one, which is at the ground level. From their connections with floors 5 the floors 7 extend downwardly and rearwardly clear to the rear wall 2 with a comparatively sli ht inclination in a reverse direction with respect to the inclination of floors 6. These two groups of oppositely inclined floors are located entirely at opposite sides of a vertical, central division plane, extending straight fore and aft of the building and are shown as separated by a wall 8 disposed'in said plane. This wall may, however, be omitted or may be replaced by an open structure.

Spaced a material distance rcarwardly from the level floors 5 is a group of superposed, similarly inclined ramps 9, spaced inwardly from the rear wall 2 and lying entirely within the plan of the inclined floors 6 and 7. The rear end portions of floors 6 and 7 are disposed at staggered elevations and the ramps extend transversely through an opening in the partition wall 8 and join adjacent ones of said staggered floors in succession.

All of the floors 5, 6 and 7 are represented in the present showing as being both driveway and storage floors. Some of the storage space may, however, be devoted to other uses. As shown, each inclined floor 6 is provided with a longitudinal central driveway space 10 which extends the full length of said floor and opens directly into a driveway space 11 extending straight forward upon the connected floor 5 to the front wall 1. The front wall is provided with a doorway 12 opening into the driveway 11 of the lowermost floor 5 at the ground level. 3 Similarly, each inclined floor 7 is provided with a longitudinal, central driveway space 13 which opens into an alining driveway space 14 upon its connected floor 5. Each floor 5 is also provided'with a driveway space 15 which transversely connects the occupies a position spaced from the front and rear edges of the floor. The ramps 9 extend equal distances at opposite sides of wall 8 and open'directly into driveways l0 and '13. They are merged gradually with said driveways along curved lines, as indicated at 16.

Each of the inclined floors 6 and 7 is provided with rows ofautomobile storage spaces 17 extending along the entire length thereof at both sides of the longitudinaldriveways 10 and 13. Similarly, each floor 5 is provided with storage spaces along both sides of the driveway spaces 11, 14 and 15.

An automobile to be stored upon an upper driveways 11 and 14 and floor is driven into the building through the doorway 12, then rearwardly along the driveway space 11 of the ground floor, upwardly along the driveway 10 of the connected inclined floor 6, upwardly along the connected ramp .9 to the connected inclined floor 'T and .still upwardly along .the driveway 13 thereof to the driveway space 14L of the second level floor 5. It the automobile is required to ascend still farther in order to reach its assigned storage space it is driven along the transverse driveway l t oi said second floor and along the driveway 11, and

the ascending driveway 10 to repeat the circuit just described until its storage space is reached... \Vhen leaving the building the automobile traverses this path in the reverse direction. All turns are in the same direction in either ascent or-descent and. thereby confusion is avoided and the trattic through the building may be sped up.

My floor and, ramp arrangement provides a continuous and substantially spiral vehicular path throughthe building, The grade of this path is extremely low owing to the fact that it is shared by the long, oppositely in.- clined floors .6. and T and by the ramps 9. The inclination of floors 6. and 7 may be made veryslight so that they will be in. no way objectionable. as storage floors. The easy ascent grade is attained without any sacrifice, of valuable storage space as the drivewaysalong the floors and ramps take upno moreospacethan dothe driveways or.- dinarily required upon a flat garage floor of material area.

Vhile I have shownand described a very satisfactory form of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited strictly to this disclosure but reservethe right .to make such, changes in structure and adaptation as will lie within the scope of the claims.

hat I claim is: V

1. A garagebuilding comprising a group of superposed, level stoage and driveway floors overlying one ground area; a groupof superposed, inclined storage anddriveway floors overlying another ground area and leading upwardly to said level ,fioors and joined thereto in succession; a group or" superposed, inclined storage and driveway floors overlying another ground area, alongside said first group of inclined floors, in clined reversely .to the inclinationot the latter and joined to the level floors in succession andleading upwardly therefrom; and ramps successivly connecting the inclined floors of one group to the adjacent inclined floors of the companion group at points spaced a material distance along their inclination from said level floors and completing a continuous and substantially spiral driveway leading u-pwardly through the building.

2. A garage buildingcomprising agroup of superposed, level driveway floors overlying one ground area; a group of superposed, inclined storage and driveway floors overlying another ground area and leading upwardly to said level floors and joined thereto in succession; a group of superposed, inclined storage and driveway floors overlying another ground area, inclined reversely to the inclination of the floors of said second group and joined successively to said level floors and leading upwardly therefrom; and ramps successively connecting the inclined floor, of one group to the adjacent inclined floors of the other group at points spaced a material distance along their inclination .t'rom said level floors and completing a continuous and substantially spiral driveway leading upwardly through thebuilding.

3. A' garage building comprising a level lower floor overlying one groundarea; a level upper floor overlying said lower floor; an inclined storage and driveway floor overlying another ground area, joined to said lower floor and leading upwardly therefrom; an inclined storage and driveway floor overlying another ground area, inclined reversely to the inclination otsaid other inclined floor, and joined to and lead.- ing downwardly from said upper floor; and a ramp connecting said reversely inclined floors at a point spaced materially along their inclination from said level floors and completing a continuous and. substantially spiral driveway leading rom said lower floor to said upper floor.

4. A garage building comprising a lower floor-overlying one ground area; an upper floor overlying said lower floor; an inclined floor overlying another ground area and joined to said lower floor and leading upwardly from it; an inclined floor overlying another ground area alongside said first inclined floor, inclined reversely to the latter and joined toand leading downwardly from said upper floor; and a ramp transversely connecting said inclined floors and completing a continuous, low grade and substantially spiral driveway leading from said lower floor to said upper floor, one of said inclined floors having automobile storage spaces along its inclination.

5. Agarage building comprising a lower floor overlying one ground area an upper floor overlying said lower floor; an inclined floor overlying another ground area and joined to said lower floor and leading upwardly therefrom; an inclined floor overlyinganother ground area alongside-said first inclined floor, inclined reversely to the latter and joined to and leading downwnrdly from said upper floor; and a ramp lying entirely within the ground plan of said inclined f floors and transversely connecting them to complete a continuous, low grade and substantially spiral driveway leading from said lower floor to said upper floor, one

of said inclined floors having automobile storage spaces along its inclination.

6. A garage building comprising a level lower storage and driveway floor overlying one ground area; a level upper storage and driveway floor overlying said lower floor; an inclined storage and driveway floor overlying another ground area and joined to said lower floor and leading upwardly from it; an inclined storage and driveway floor overlying a ground. area alongside that of said first inclined floor, inclined reversely to the latter and joined to and leading downwardly from said upper floor; and a ramp lying entirely within the ground plan of said inclined floors and transversely connecting them to complete a continuous and substantially spiral driveway leading from said lower floor to said upper floor.

7. A garage building comprising a level lower storage and driveway floor overlying one ground area; a level upper storage and driveway floor overlying said lower floor; an inclined storage and driveway floor overlying another ground area and joined to said lower floor and leading upwardly from it; an inclined storage and driveway floor overlying a ground area alongside that of said first inclined floor, inclined reversely to the latter and joined to and leading downwardly from said upper floor; and a ramp lying entirely within the ground plan of said inclined floors and transversely connecting them to complete a continuous and substantially spiral driveway leading from said lower floor to said upper floor, the inclined floors being provided with automobile storage spaces along both sides of said driveway.

8. A building structure comprising a group of superposed, level floors overlying one ground area; a group of superposed, inclined floors overlying another ground area and leading upwardly to said level floors and joined thereto in succession; a group of superposed, inclined floors overlying another ground area, alongside and parallel to said first group of inclined floors, inclined reversely to the inclination of the latter and joined to said level floors in succession and leading upwardly from them; and ramps lying entirely within the ground plan of said two groups of inclined floors, transversely connecting the latter at points spaced a material distance along their inclination from said level floors and forming, with said level and inclined floors, a continuous and substantially spiral path leading upwardly through the building.

9. A garage building comprising a level lower floor overlying one ground area; a level upper floor overlying said lower fioor; an inclined storage and driveway floor overlying another ground area joined to said lower floor and leading upwardly therefrom; an inclined storage and driveway floor floors and joined thereto in succession wherebyeach of the first group of floors will be joined to and merged directly with one of the inclined floors of said second group; and a ramp connected to each of the inclined floors at a distance from the point where said inclined floor joins and is merged with its connected floor of the first group, said ramp connecting the inclined floor of the second group to the next higher floor of the first group.

In testimony whereof I hereunto a'lfix my signature.

JAMES FRANK WILLIAMS. 

